Pokémon Adventure!
by AshleyKazekage
Summary: At first, Florence has a mingle with Team Rocket, and loses her luggage and Pokémon on a ship cruise as she mistakenly finds herself on Team Rocket's hot air balloon, after they attack the ship in attempts to capture Pikachu, yet again. How will Florence get her Pokémon back, and what other mysteries lie in store for her?
1. 1 - Team Rocket!

Argh! I don't remember what happened! It all just happened so fast! I clutched onto my little Azurill as I tried to protect it from the poisonous fumes in the air, I choked coarsely, trying to back out of the toxic cloud. Other people around me, were in the same state.  
I backed up some more, before I felt someone run and trip onto me, causing us both to fall. The man grunted at the impact, and I let out a little cry, because he was heavy. I immediately pushed the guy off, he was squishing Azura, my Azurill! I swear I heard a Pikachu yelp as well.  
"Jimmy what do you t'ink you're doin' layin' around! We gotta get goin'!" I heard this voice, and suddenly a small hand grabbed my arm and started pulling me. The man that collided with me, was on all fours, choking on the fumes.  
"W-Wait!" I tried to speak, but only inhaled more fumes. This person is very short, because I found myself crouching while running. I didn't try to fight them, perhaps this kid will lead me away from the fumes.  
A door up ahead opened, and a woman stood there, beckoning before running out. The kid ran out after her, still pulling me along. As soon as we were outside that room, we were running along the deck of the ship. The woman, swiftly jumped off the railings and landed in a basket, held up by a hot air balloon in the shape of a Meowth's head. I didn't get a clear view, but the kid pulling me, followed her up. That's when I realised, the kid wasn't a kid. It was a Meowth! Incredible.  
The woman huffed and let off a ladder for me. "Hurry up and get in James! And don't forget Pikachu!"  
Her shouting didn't give me a chance to think this over, I grabbed the ladder and climbed up, Azura clutched onto my shirt with her mouth. I made it into the basket, and the balloon started to fly off at a fast rate. I sat against the side of the basket, panting.  
"I didn't t'ink we'd get away! Dis looks like we're takin' Pikachu to da boss after all! Nyehahah!" The Meowth laughed, rubbing its paws together schemingly. The woman let out a high pitched laugh, and placed both hands on her hips.  
"I'm surprised your plan worked this time, Meowth!" They both smirked and looked at me. They flinched, before pointing at me harshly.  
"YOU'RE NOT JAMES!"  
"Aa-aahh! N-No! I'm uh, I'm Florence!" I quickly replied, trying to find my words. Their stares were intimidating.  
"How did you get on here!? And where's James!? The imbecile!" The woman snarled.  
"Y-You told me to get on!" I answered quickly.  
"Hmm.." Meowth scratched his chin for a moment, before lowering his ears. "Methinks.. I grabbed the wrong person.." Meowth climbed up on the edge of the basket, and looked back down to the ship in the distance, with binoculars. Both the woman and I looked as well.  
A man with purple hair stood on the deck, flailing his arms around while shouting.  
"Meowth! You little screw up!" The woman hit the poor little Meowth over the head.  
"I.. I'm guessing that's James..?" I asked.  
"Yes! And he should be here, not you!" She hissed. "Now get off this balloon! This is Team Rocket property only!"  
"G-Get off!? You expect me to jump off from this high?! What are you mad!?"  
She seemed to groan at me, then she huffed and almost spat at me when she spoke again. "Fine! We'll kick you off when we land next!"  
"Th-that sounds good to me!" I said quickly, trying not to cause a fight. "But um.. you're forgetting your friend down there.. wait! TEAM ROCKET!?" I screamed, I looked at her, then the R on her low cut shirt.  
She smirked and laughed somewhat evilly. "That's right brat! Don't get in our way."  
I slowly stepped to the other side of the balloon, away from her.  
"Get da extendable arm out!" The Meowth exclaimed. The woman folded her arms.  
"Why do _I_ have to do everything!? Do it yourself you stupid feline!"  
Meowth grumbled and pulled out a small control box. It pressed a button and out came a huge expandable arm, it reached all the way down and grabbed James, then pulled him up onto the balloon.  
"You guys left without me!" The man pouted.  
"Where is Pikachu!?" The woman hissed, after scrutinising him. The guy, James, put his hands up in the air defensively.  
"I.. I dropped it.."  
"You dropped our Pikachu!?" Meowth jumped up and scratched him across the face, using fury swipes.  
"Ow ow!" He whined.  
I looked over the edge of the balloon, looking for this Pikachu that he 'dropped'. I couldn't see anything, but a huge body of water way below. I shivered at the sight. I turned back to the trio in front of me, Azura was scared, she hid beneath my low cut shirt.  
"I.. didn't get to grab my luggage.. or my other Pokémon.." I mumbled. Azura lowered her ears and gave a sad look.  
"Who is that!?" James demanded. I jumped and backed up.  
"I-I'm Florence!"  
"She's a stowaway!" The woman growled.  
"Hey! I'm no stowaway! You told me to get on..!"  
"Don't talk back to me, brat!"  
"J-Jessie, calm down." James said. "The last thing we need right now is you two fighting."  
"Don't you dare speak! You made us fail our mission, James!" Jessie snarled.  
"Um.. d-don't mind me at all! I'll stay nice and quiet, for the ride. Then, after we land, you'll never have to see me ever again!" I said. "That's the deal, right? Jessie?"  
"It's _**miss**_ Jessie to you, punk!"  
"Why is she here, Jess?"  
"Meowth here, grabbed the wrong person!" Jessie growled.  
"It was a genuine mistake! I swear!" Meowth pleaded.  
"But not as big of a mistake as you screwing up, James!"  
I watched as the three continued to bicker at each other, so I sat in the corner holding Azura. I sighed. "It's going to be a long ride." I told her, she nodded in response.  
"Azu azu."


	2. 2 - Descending at the Speed of Light!

I suppose I ought to explain the whole situation before I found myself with these Team Rocket guys. That ship I was on, was a cruise ship headed to Vermilion City. My plan was to arrive there, and buy tickets to cruise on the SS Anne II ship. It's known as SS Anne II because the original SS Anne was sunk about a year ago. I come from Verdanturf Town all the way in the Hoenn region, so obviously I was on that ship for a long time.  
Many Pokémon trainers, including myself, were on board that ship, called the SS Regional. It was given its name for its ability to travel from region to region.  
I was eating lunch in the main foyer, when suddenly a fight broke out, and then a Weezing engulfed the entire room in toxic fumes, causing everyone to suffer, and you know the rest from there. 

It had been a really long time, I don't know how long for sure, a few hours perhaps? All I know was that the sun was setting and the sky was a distinct orange. We were all sitting in the basket, the Team Rocket trio kept trying to come up with plans to capture this Pikachu they were talking about earlier. The one that James had apparently dropped. I asked them about it, and they explained to me that the Pikachu belonged to some 'twerp' and that it was very rare. I didn't tell them off, because I know that Team Rocket are villains, and that's just what they do.  
"So... how much further to land?" I asked. We were still flying over the sea, even after all this time. No one answered me. I rolled my eyes and reached into my pocket, pulling out a small packet of biscuits, I was hungry. I caught their attention as soon as I opened the packet.  
"Where did you get those?!" James questioned, crawling to me.  
"Um.. from the ship.." I answered.  
"Dammit!" James sulked. "We should have stole food while we were at it! I'm so hungry!"  
"Do you ever think about anything other than food, James!?" Jessie hissed. "Try thinking with your brain from now on, not your stomach!"  
"But Jess! Aren't you hungry too?"  
The two started arguing about food, until Meowth scratched them both in the face using Fury Swipes, which lead into a three-way wrestle, which started rocking the balloon.  
"G-Guys.." I stuttered. "Stop it. I'll share! Just stop fighting!" To be honest, I never thought Team Rocket were such douches. Suddenly the tree of them were towering over me, holding our their hands, demanding.  
I pulled out some biscuits, and gave them two each, and saved the rest for myself. They ate them before I even managed to pull my own biscuit out, and I thought I was bad with eating fast.  
Suddenly, Meowth snatched the packet from me.  
"Hey!" I hissed, reaching for it. However, James stole it from Meowth, then Jessie stole it from James. All the fighting over it, and James accidentally threw it off the balloon, and the packet fell into the ocean. We all stared at James.  
"You **idiot**!" I growled, before tackling him. "You wasted **my** food! No one wastes my food and gets away with it!"  
James covered his face with his arms and sulked.  
"Yeah Jim! That was the last of da food we had!" Meowth hissed, joining in on the brawl.  
Azura became frightened, and tried to bounce away from it, but bounced too high and fell over the side of the basket. I gasped.  
"Azura!" I stood up and ran to the side of the basket, looking down as Azura fell all that way. "No!" Without thinking, I jumped over the side of the basket, reaching for her.  
"Is she mad!?" Meowth questioned.  
"She's going to die from a height like this!" James exclaimed.  
I grabbed Azura and held her close. "You scared me! Don't do that again!"  
"A-Azu! Azu!" She seemed really panicked. I looked down, the water was getting closer and closer. I screamed.  
"We're gonna die!" I screamed. Suddenly a Pokémon appeared below me, and I landed on it.  
"Weezing wee."  
"A-A Weezing?" I looked at my saviour. The Weezing floated back up to the balloon.  
"Nice one, Jimmy!" Meowth said. I jumped off Weezing and back into the basket.  
"I thought I was gonna die.." I whined.  
"Hahahaha!" James laughed. Meowth seemed to get a smug expression.  
"You saved me! Thank you!" I held myself back from clinging to James. My mother taught me about strangers, and how I shouldn't hug just anyone.  
"Yeah! Jimmy saved you! Now you owe him your lifes!" Meowth snickered.  
"Meowth? What're you planning?" Jessie murmured to him. The trio suddenly huddled in and whispered something.  
Suddenly, James turned me, laughing. "You owe me, so you must do everything I say!"  
"I, um, what?"  
"And that means handing over all your Pokémon!"  
I looked down at Azura, she was scared. "But.. you can't have my Pokémon." I said, looking back up at James.  
"No buts!"  
"Azura is the only Pokémon I have now! All my other Pokémon are back on that ship! As well as all my stuff!"  
James took Azura from me, then held her up out of my reach. "Hey!"  
"Ahahah! Our newest addition to Team Rocket!"  
"Just wait till we hand it to da boss!" Meowth snickered.  
"I'm sure he'll be pleased!" Jessie chimed.  
"What on Earth could Team Rocket's boss want with my little Azura?" I asked.  
"You see, if da boss was out on da desert on vacation, he could use dis little fella to keep himself cool!" Meowth explained.  
"That is the dumbest idea I've ever heard." I said.  
"Shuuuut up human!" Meowth scratched my face with Fury Swipes. I screamed and cowered, holding my face, which was now stinging, worse than a Beedrill's stinger!  
Azura squirmed helplessly. I decided not to panic too much about it though, its not like they could run anywhere from here..  
Jessie started to laugh. "I feel like we're stealing a Pokémon from the twerps! It makes me itch to sing our motto!"  
"You're right Jessie!"  
"Motto..?"  
"Prepare for trouble!"  
"Make it double!"  
"To protect the world from devastation!"  
"To unite all peo-"  
My phone started to ring inside my pocket. "Oh!" I pulled it out and answered it. "Hello?"  
"How dare you interrupt the theme song you little twerp!" The three of them shouted, holding angry fists up.  
"Mum! Hi! … Um, yeah.. about that.. … … no no, mum listen, I'm in a hot air balloon... yes! That's right! A-"  
Suddenly, James snatched my phone. "I demand to know who's more important than us stealing Pokémon from you!" He shouted into the phone. "... This is Team Rocket! And- .. an- … a-... WOULD YOU SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME!" Suddenly a voice roared from the other end of the phone, deafening James. The voice was heard loud and clear.  
"YOU TOUCH MY DAUGHTER AND I'LL PERSONALLY FIND YOU, AND I'LL SNAP YOUR NECKS AND CRUSH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR BONES, YOU GOT THAT?! HUH!?"  
"Y-Yes ma'am!" James quickly dropped the phone, and I snatched it.  
"Mum! OW!" She continued shouting through the phone, which hurt my ear. "MUM! Listen! … Look I made a mistake! I got on their balloon by accident! They haven't hurt me.. yet." I looked up at James, and narrowed my eyes into a glare until he put Azura down. She quickly bounced to me again. "I'm safe, yes... yes Azura too.. … … no.. they're kind of.. left on the ship.. b-but I'll get them back! I promise! Okay I'll get them back now! Okay! Love you! Bye!" I quickly hung up before she said anything else. I sighed of relief as I put my phone away.  
"That woman is psycho!" James huffed.  
"_That woman_ is my mother.. AND YOU JUST GOT ME IN TROUBLE!"  
"YOU WERE THE ONE WHO GOT ON THIS BALLOON BY ACCIDENT! ITS **YOUR** FAULT!"  
"I WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN ON THIS BALLOON IF MEOWTH HADN'T OF DRAGGED ME ONTO IT!"  
"I WOULDN'TA DRAGGED YOU OUT IF YOU HADDA GOTTEN OUTTA OUR WAY!"  
"MAYBE I WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN IN YOUR WAY IF YOU DIDN'T GAS THE BOAT WITH POISONOUS FUMES!"  
"ITS YOUR FAULT FOR BEING IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME!"  
"NO ITS YOUR FAULT FOR ATTACKING THE SHIP! AND INNOCENT PEOPLE!"  
"WE'RE TEAM ROCKET! ITS WHAT WE DO!"  
"I HATE TEAM ROCKET!"  
"WE HATE YOU!"  
"FINE!"  
"**FINE**!"  
Everyone turned away from each other with a huge huff, and arms folded. We stayed silent for a short while, before we realised... the balloon was descending.  
"The fire went out!" Meowth panicked.  
"We're losing ground, fast!" James added. I quickly looked over the edge of the basket.  
"What are our chances of landing on that very small island!?" I questioned. They all quickly looked, the island was tiny.  
"I'd say.. one in a hundred!" Meowth squawked. That made us panic even more.  
"James! Fix it!" Jessie demanded.  
James tried to ignite the fire again, but it was no good! We all held each other, screaming as the balloon was picking up speed! 


	3. 3 - Wah! I Got Arrested!

"We're gonna die! Team Rocket's crashing down again!"

"No! Maybe w-we'll be lucky! Maybe the basket wont tip, and land straight, then we wont fall out! This thing can float, right?!"

They seemed to have thoughtful expressions as they looked at each other. The water was almost upon us, we were pretty far from the island.

"Ahh! Brace yourselves!" I screamed. We all held on to a corner of the basket each, and the whole thing crashed right into the ocean, throwing us off like rag dolls!

We each flew in a different direction, and the balloon began to sink. I swam up and surfaced, taking a deep breath. Azura popped up too, floating thanks to her tail. She tried to help me swim towards the island. No sign of the other three either.. perhaps they're drowning?

I choked on the water, and tried to swim, when I saw Meowth's tail poking up above the water. I grabbed it and yanked him up out of the water, and he clung to me, shivering.

"I hate water! Especially wet water!" He coughed.

"D-Don't dig your claws in!" I winced, trying to swim. "Where's Jessie and James?!"

"Who cares?! Get Meowth to the land, human!" Meowth began hitting me over the head. I guess I had no other choice.

I swam until I reached the shore, and collapsed on the sand, out of breath. Both Meowth and I choked on the seawater as we sat there.

"Can the other two swim..?" I asked.

"Methinks so." Meowth responded, ringing out his tail. He didn't seem to worried, perhaps they were fine. I turned my attention back to the ocean, that's when I saw a hand poking up, waving around.

"It must be James, or Jessie!" I said. "I gotta save em!" I dived back into the water, and swam out. I pulled James up to the surface and dragged him to shore as well. He coughed up quite a lot of water, and I kept panting, as I scanned the water for any signs of Jessie. I couldn't see any.

I turned my attention back to James, as he tried ringing out his shirt. "I'm a-alive..!" He sort of laughed.

"I guess that repays my debt." I said, grinning at him.

"Huh.. you're right." He replied.

Jessie washed up moments later, she was totally out. James carried Jessie as the three of us explored the island, searching for any signs of civilisation.

We came across a tiny little town, people were inside, probably starting to get ready for bed. Luckily, there was a Pokémon centre, not quite as high tech as others, but it was still something.

We went inside and asked for a room, James was immediately told to leave, due to his Team Rocket uniform, and I made the mistake of saying "Oh, they're with me." and I was told to leave for having an association with Team Rocket.

So there we were, sitting on the outskirts of the town, while Nurse Joy had Officer Jenny searching for us.

"Where are we gonna stay now?"

"I'm cold.. I'm hungry.. I wanna sleep.." James moaned, dragging himself sluggishly across the road.

"Now wait just a minute!" Meowth said. We stopped walking and paid attention to him. "We're Team Rocket! Masters of disguise!"

"You're right Meowth!" James said. "We just gotta disguise ourselves!"

"... You know, if you just took off your Team Rocket shirts before you went into the Pokémon centre, like I said, none of this would have happened." I mentioned.

"Shut up imbecile!" James clenched a fist. "Why would we listen to a twerp like you! You ruined our plans, ever since you got on our balloon! Now we have to get a new one!"

"I told you, that was Meowth's fault!"

"Hold it right there!" A harsh voice called. We all gasped and turned around. Officer Jenny had found us.

"Not good.." James muttered.

"Team Rocket! I hereby place you under arrest for all the crimes you have committed!"

"Methinks we should.. run!" Meowth said, pulling on James.

"Good idea." James sent out Weezing. "Weezing! Smog attack, now!"

Weezing obeyed, and spewed out poisonous gas towards Officer Jenny.

"You just attacked an officer!?" I questioned. I heard James laughing as he ran away with Meowth, and Jessie in his arms, leaving me behind. "Hey! Wait!" I started to run after them. But Jenny zoomed through the smog on her motorcycle, and blocked my path. I stopped and stared at her.

"U-uh.. hi?"

"You're also under arrest!"

"W-what!?"

Jenny handcuffed my wrists in front of me. "For the association and supporting of Team Rocket!"

"Y-You've got it all wrong! I'm not a criminal!" However she didn't listen to me, and forced me to get on the motorcycle.

After a big, four hour-long interrogation, Jenny uncuffed my hands and let me go. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. I didn't know that was the case. However associating with Team Rocket in any way is considered a crime."

"I understand." I replied.

"And I'm sorry to hear about what happened on that ship.. maybe I can arrange for a boat to pick you up and take you to Vermilion City."

"Really? You can? That would be great! That way I could find the SS Regional, and get my Pokémon back!"

After Jenny phoned up the docks, she returned and gave me some disappointing news. "Bad news, the last boat here has been stolen! I'm afraid there's no way to send you off until that boat is found, or another one arrives, which could be a long time!"

"What!? … Aww.. well, Azura.. looks like we're going to be staying on this island for a while."

It was well and truly late at night, so I returned to the Pokémon centre, cleared things up with Nurse Joy and managed to get a room to stay in overnight.

'Who would have stolen a boat anyway?' I thought to myself. I rolled over, and pulled sleeping Azura close to me. '…. wait.. could it have been Team Rocket!?' I narrowed my eyes. 'If its their fault I'm stuck on this island because they stole the last boat.. ooh! They'll pay if I ever find them again!'


	4. 4 - Trapped Pokémon and SS Trinity!

I spent two weeks on this island, with no way of contacting my mother, because my phone was destroyed in the water, and the phones on the island cannot reach more than one mile away.  
I met a person called Regina. She allowed me to stay at her house, and we became friends pretty quickly. Regina has showed me all over the town, and some parts of the island, and I became pretty familiar with some of the locals.

Regina was the daughter of the dock owner, Noah, and she often helped him to look after the place. Regina would let me know if a boat ever turned up, so I could board it. It was pretty much a waiting game now.

Today it was raining, so most people were inside.  
"There's a problem down at the docks!" Regina said, as she ran down the streets. I was following her.  
"What is it?"  
"A Pokémon is trapped, my father can't get to it!"  
"What?!"

When we arrived, I saw Noah leaning over the pier reaching for a fishing net, which was just out of his reach. Both Regina and I ran over.  
"Father! Where's the Pokémon?"  
"Its trapped in that net! The wind is blowing it, and there's some hungry Tentacool down there."  
I noticed some faint red glowing in the water. I looked at the net, a small purple Pokémon was tangled in it, struggling. "It's too scared of me, it keeps trying to get away."  
"I'll get it, hold on to me." I said. I hanged over the side of the pier, Noah and Regina held my legs so I wouldn't fall. The net was in reach, but the Pokémon kept struggling. "It's okay little guy, I wont hurt you." I said in a soft voice. It didn't seem to calm down at all.  
I grabbed the net, and pulled it up, bringing the Pokémon with it. Upon closer inspection, the Pokémon looked like a male Nidoran. "I got it!" I said. "Pull me up!"  
Noah and Regina pulled me up, and I sat trying to untangle the poor little guy.  
"Be careful of the barbs on it's back!" Regina warned.  
"I-I am." I said. It didn't help that the Nidoran was restless and wouldn't stop moving. "How did it even get stuck in a fishing net?"  
"I saw it running along the pier, when it suddenly looked over the edge and fell." Noah explained.

I started to wonder why a Nidoran would be playing on a pier of all places, especially in the rain.

I snapped some of the meshing, and created a hole, but the Nidoran squirmed more, and the next wrapped around its leg tightly, which looked painful.  
"Okay, your struggling isn't exactly helping.." I muttered.  
"Nido!" It suddenly spiked out and stabbed my hand with the horns on its back.  
"Ah!"  
"Florence!" Regina pulled me away from the Nidoran. "We have to act fast, before the poison spreads too far!"  
Noah tied a cloth around my arm tightly, so the poison wouldn't get through.  
"W-we're gonna need to take the Nidoran to the Pokémon centre." I said.

Noah wrapped his coat around the Nidoran to shelter it, and we followed him to the Pokémon centre.

Both Nidoran and I were treated.  
"You are both lucky." Nurse Joy said.  
I turned to the Nidoran, it had a ring wound on its front right-hand leg. I felt sorry for the poor little guy.  
"It will have to be taken back out into the wild. But I don't have the time.. would you kind people mind taking it for me?"  
I nodded. "Sure!" I carefully picked up the sleeping Nidoran, and left with Regina by my side.  
"Where do you think the little guy came from?" I asked.  
"If he was playing on the pier, then his home shouldn't be too far away."

So we used the pier as a starting location, and went from there.

Nidoran woke up, and panicked when it saw us, so it ran off into some bushes.  
I blinked. "Oh well, I guess it knows where it's going."  
"Yeah, I agree. Come on, the rains starting to get heavier." Regina said, adjusting the umbrella in her hand.

We both started to run back to the town, when Regina stopped running.

"What is it?" I asked.  
"Look, over there!" She pointed to the docks in the distance. "There's a boat coming! Come on!"  
"Ah! We might be lucky now, Azura!" I said, carrying her in my arms as I ran to the docks.

Noah was speaking to the boat's owner as I arrived. Dozens of people came off the boat, they looked like tourists. I read the name on the side of the ship. SS Trinity.

"Excuse me, sir?"  
The captain looked at me. "Hm?"  
"Does this ship go to the Kanto region?"  
"Woahahaha. My darlin' Trinity can travel the toughest seas out there!"  
"... Even to Kanto?"  
"Aye. To Kanto. Where is it you're plannin' on going?"  
"Vermilion City."  
"Fantastic, woahahaha. That is darlin' Trinity's next destination in fact."  
"Wow! That's so convenient." I said. "Can I have a ride there?"  
"O' course lassy! Climb aboard! There're plenty of spare rooms aye!"  
I grinned and started walking up the ramp, passing some other tourists walking down. I waved to Regina.  
"Stay safe, and good luck on your journey, Florence!" She called out.  
"I will! Thanks for everything!" I called back before boarding.


	5. 5 - No Supplies and Troubling Azura!

I spent two and a half weeks on the SS Trinity before arriving, finally, at Vermilion City!  
I almost ran off the ship, and searched for SS Regional, however it was no where in sight.  
"Wah! Why isn't it here?! What if it left already! No!" I ran around, and asked many people, until I learned that the SS Regional had left last week, and any spare luggage was tossed to the lost property. When I checked it, my things weren't there, and the officer said someone had claimed them just three days ago.  
"Which way did they go!?" I questioned. "Where are they!? Its _my_ luggage!"  
"I'm afraid it is not our responsibility to keep track of everyone who comes and goes in here."  
I sighed. "Well, whatever, it was only three days ago, they couldn't have gotten too far, right?" Azura nodded.

I explored all over Vermilion City, and found a payphone on the street. "Great! I can contact my mother and tell her everything!" And that's what I did, with the small amount of change I had left.  
I hung up the phone, and left to search the city.

By the end of the day, I had no luck, and stayed in the Pokémon centre over night. There were many trainers there, some kept looking for battles, and others rested their Pokémon.  
"So!" A voice roared, as an arm dropped onto my shoulder. I jumped and almost screamed in fright. "You must be a trainer!"  
"Y-Yeah.. wh-what if I am!?" I turned to the guy.  
"We should battle." He grinned.  
"No.. I'm here to sleep, not to battle." I said, backing away. He rolled his eyes and walked away. 'People here are crazy.' I thought.  
I saw a kid with a Pikachu on his shoulder, and it reminded me of Team Rocket's plan. Beside him was an orange-haired woman and a spiky haired guy. To be honest, they did look somewhat familiar.. 'But where have I seen them before..' I thought for a moment, then I remembered! 'That's right! They were on the SS Regional! Then.. that must be the Pikachu Team Rocket tried to take!'  
I ran to the three trainers.  
"Hey! Excuse me!" I said, gaining their attention. "You guys were on the SS Regional, right?"  
"Uh, yeah, we arrived just last week actually." The tall guy said. "My name's Brock, and this is Ash, and Misty."  
"Ahh, perfect! You guys wouldn't happen to know anything about any missing luggage would you?"  
"What kind of missing luggage?" Ash asked.  
"Well, you see, I was on board that SS Regional, however.. um.. I kind of mingled with Te- uh, some people, and got separated from the ship. I only just got here now, and my luggage and Pokémon must have been sent to the lost property, but someone took it!"  
"Oh no! That's terrible!" Misty exclaimed.  
"No one gets away with stealing Pokémon! I bet this was Team Rocket's fault!" Ash said.  
"T-Team Rocket? What makes you think it was them?" I asked. 'Would those three really take the trouble of taking my things?'  
"They're always up to no good! They're always trying to take Pikachu here."  
"Ahh! That's the Pikachu they were talking about...! Ah! I mean.. um.. dammit." They stared at me.  
"Do you know Team Rocket?"  
"... Not at all! I come from Verdanturf Town, all the way in the Hoenn region! So I, uh, I know nothing about Team Rocket."  
"Well that's surprising. Team Rocket seem to follow us everywhere-"  
"So, you don't know anything about my luggage or Pokémon?" I asked, changing the subject quickly.  
"No, but we can certainly help!"  
"Uh.. no its fine! I'll search by myself! Bye now!" I ran away, I couldn't risk them finding out my association with Team Rocket, they might try to get me arrested again. I didn't want that.

"Tomorrow I'll continue my searching." I said. Azura nodded.

The next morning, I got up early and began my search. My journey lead me onto a dirt road. Without a map it was hard to know which way to go. 'If I just follow this road, it should lead to the next town, therefore, I wont get lost!' I thought.

I saw plenty of trainers and wild Pokémon running around. I wanted to capture some, but I didn't have any Pokéballs. Which reminded me, without my bag, I didn't have any potions, elixirs or any healing items. I realised just how dangerous this was going to be. Azura has never battled before.  
Azura is still a baby Azurill, I found her in a lake near my mother's farm, she seemed lost. Her parents and friends were no where in sight, and she followed me on my way to Slateport City, so I took her along with me. Which also reminds me, I never did put Azura in a Pokéball either, she's still technically a wild Pokémon.  
I sighed. "The moment we get attacked, we're in trouble." I said. Azura whined a little, and sank in my grip. "D-don't worry, I'll buy some Pokéballs at the next town." … … "I... don't have any money."

My adventure lead me to a large bridge, it went two ways. "A fork in the road.. which way do we go?"  
Azura was more interested in the water, and bounced out of my arms, landing straight in with a small splash.  
"A-Azura!" I ran to the edge of the bridge, and smiled down at her playing around.  
"Hey kid." A harsh voice spoke. I almost jumped, and turned my head over my shoulder, looking up at some tough guy in a red vest. "Your Pokémon is scarin' away all them fish.." I noticed he was holding a fishing rod over his shoulder.  
"O-oh.. sorry. Come on Azura, lets go." I said, holding my arms out. Azura ignored me and continued to splash around, she was really enjoying herself.  
"Hmph. You must be a pretty pathetic trainer, your Pokémon wont even obey you." He said.  
I clenched a fist. "I am a pretty decent trainer! And the reason Azura doesn't always obey is because she's a wild Pokémon!"  
The guy grinned. "Wild Pokémon? So you don't mind if I catch it, heh?"  
"No!" I stood in front of the guy.  
"What kind of a trainer doesn't even catch a Pokémon?"  
"You don't understand!" I huffed. He seemed to look me over.  
"No bag or nothin'? You don't even seem to 'ave any other Pokémon."  
"I do! But.. they're not with me!"  
"I bet they're all wild too, huh?"  
"No, they're not!" This guy was starting to get on my nerves, when I saw another guy with a fishing rod walk over with a red face.  
"Tell your damn Pokémon to stop scarin' the fish!" He said.  
"Oh jeez! Azura! Come on, you're upsetting everyone!" I said. Suddenly, something swam up from beneath Azura, and gobbled her up. My eyes widened. "W-what was that?!"  
"Ah! Looks like they're back.."  
"Oooh yeah.."  
"What's back!? What?!" I questioned, both the guys stood there scratching their chins.  
"Its the season for..."


	6. 6 - A Tenta'cruel' Pain in the Back!

"Tentacool and Tentacruel migration."  
"W-What!?" I looked back down at the deep blue water. "You're saying that water is infested with Tentacool!? I thought those things lived out in the ocean only!"  
"Ahah. You know nothing about water Pokémon, do ya?"  
"How am I gonna save Azura?!"  
"Its too late." The first man turned away, arms folded. "Your Pokémon is squid bait."  
I almost screamed at him, but held back. No, I've wasted too much time with this unnecessary chatter. Without thinking, I dived straight into the water.  
"Oi!" The second man cringed a little, before stepping forward. "Idiot!"  
Underwater things were a distinct tinge of red. That's when I noticed a huge school of Tentacool. I frantically looked around for Azura, and eventually spotted her. I began to swim towards her, and the Tentacool holding her above its head in a tight bind. The other Tentacool seemed to be cautiously watching me, and they did, in fact, move out of the way when I came near.  
'This is easier than I thought.' I thought. I reached out to that Tentacool, when I couldn't hold my breath any longer. I had to surface. 'Sorry Azura!' I surfaced and took the biggest breath of my life.  
"Yep, she's still alive." The second man said. The first one groaned and gave him some money. I took a few heavy breaths, staring at them.  
"But wait, it ain't over. She ain't got it."  
"Ugh." The second man returned the money.  
'Are they betting money on me?!' I shook my head fiercely before diving back down again, holding a big breath. The Tentacool were slowly retreating, and so I didn't have much trouble keeping up. At least, until I saw something I did not want to see. Tentacruel. Those huge eyes stared down at me and I froze in fear. Normally Tentacruel wouldn't bother me, but given the situation I am in, defenceless _and_ underwater, things weren't looking too good in my favour.  
It reached out one of its tentacles, towards me, this Tentacruel looked hostile. I sort of raised my hands innocently, trying to show that I was no harm, however the Tentacruel misread my gesture, and attacked. It smacked its tentacle right across me, I was pushed back quite a way, and with the hard pressure of the water against my body in the fast movement, I felt like my insides were being crushed. I opened my mouth in a soundless 'Ahh!' and accidentally swallowed some water and lost my breath. I made the mistake of trying to gasp for air, and copped more water gushing down my throat. I slapped my hands over my mouth, choking. The Tentacruel attacked again, this time hitting me upwards, as if trying to fling me away. I almost felt like my back snapped in half.  
'I am.. an idiot.'

I cringed. I was actually shaking. This pain was beyond anything I'd experienced before. I saw something swimming at me from above.  
"Poliwhirl." I heard before it grabbed me and pulled me to the surface. Once above the water, the Pokémon threw me on the bridge, where I continued to choke violently.  
"Ooh. Close. But she's still alive, so I win. Again."  
"Ugh!"  
The Pokémon stood beside me, and hit my back pretty hard, which caused even more pain. I chucked up water, and gasped desperately for air.  
"Poli..? Poliwhirl." The Pokémon looked more concerned than the two fishermen. It became annoyed, and used a water-type move to spray its trainer. The first man narrowed his eyes at his Pokémon.  
"That was uncalled for, Poliwhirl." He said.

I was still shaking, and my back was screaming in pain. Something was definitely not right, I had to be injured somewhere.  
Suddenly the bridge started to vibrate, we all looked up to see that same Tentacruel surfacing, glaring down at the bridge with utter distaste.  
"Oh great! She upset the leader, great one, stupid girl." The second man said.  
"Well! Poliwhirl! Now's our chance, I'm gonna catch me a Tentacruel! A strong one by the looks of it!" The first man grinned.  
"Poli_whirl_!" The Poliwhirl stood in front of it's trainer obediently, ready to battle.  
"Watch, and learn how to really be a trainer, you silly girl. Poliwhirl! Body Slam!"  
I narrowed my eyes. The Poliwhirl obeyed it's trainer's command, and fought with the Tentacruel.  
'Great, while it's distracted, I have to get Azura back.' I thought. I was already half sitting up, now I had to actually get up. The moment I tried to get up, a sudden jolt of pain tore through my back, and I let out a whimper before falling face down on the bridge. From the corner of my eye, I could see the Tentacool retreating, which meant Azura was getting further away from me. She must be so frightened.  
Next thing I heard was a loud crashing noise, followed by some shouting. I moved my head slowly, and saw the Tentacruel destroying the bridge. This was bad. I could barely move a muscle, and now I'm gonna end up back in the water again. I clenched a fist.  
'This isn't fair!'  
"Pikachu! Thunder attack!"  
"Pika-_**chuuu**_**!**"  
'What!?' The enormous Tentacruel lit up in sparks, and cried out as the electricity penetrated it.  
The Tentacruel looked toasted, and its eyes spun around. "T.. Te.. kruuul.." It made these low noises.  
"One more, Pikachu!"  
"Pika!" This Pikachu attacked once more, which was enough to almost defeat the Tentacruel. It suddenly shook itself, and fled, along with the school of Tentacool.  
"No..!" I slowly lifted myself off the ground. "Dammit..!" I watched helplessly as they got away.  
"Hey are you alright?" I looked up, it was that girl from Vermilion City. What was her name again? Milly?  
"Uh.. I'm.. okay.." I lied.  
"Huh? Hey..! What happened to that adorable little water Pokémon you had with you?"  
"Nothin' more than squid bait now." The fisherman said.  
"Poliwhirl." The Pokémon nodded. That kid with the Pikachu ran over with that man with his eyes closed.  
"You don't mean.."  
"That's right. Those Tentacool took it."  
"Oh no!" She shrieked.  
"Hey wait you guys. There's something odd floating in the water."  
"What is it, Brock?" Milly asked. Brock leaned down in the broken area of the bridge, and picked up something from the water.  
"Its an Azurill!"  
"Azura!" I spat. I tried to get up quickly, but cringed again.  
"Hey! You're hurt!" Milly said.  
"Yeah, she got knocked around by that Tentacruel." The fisherman said.  
Milly gasped. "It's.. okay Milly. This isn't the first time, I was up against a Pokémon.. on my own.." I said.  
"My name's Misty. And really? You look in pretty bad shape!"  
"Oh.. my bad."  
"The nearest town is probably Lavender Town up North." Brock said, scratching his chin.  
"Then we just gotta get there!" Ash exclaimed.  
"Mhm! We'll take you there, okay? Um.. Florence, was it?" Misty asked.  
"Yeah.." I felt guilty that I forgot her name, yet she remembered mine. But then again, I didn't really care too much. So, Lavender Town was my next destination? 'I wonder what that place is like...' 


	7. 7 - A Hotdog Reunion!

I was taken to the hospital, accompanied by Misty. Brock and Ash took Azura to the Pokémon centre.

After a long needed rest, I felt better, and in less pain. I stood outside the Pokémon Centre holding Azura in my arms, as I was invited to join Ash and the others on their adventure, but I had to decline, telling them that I was on my own quest, to find my belongings. They insisted, but no.  
Besides, I'd rather travel alone as I have for the last six years on my Pokémon adventure.  
I waved goodbye as the trio left to continue their journey.  
"Well.." I scanned the area. "Lavender Town.. I wonder what this town has in store."  
"Azu azurill!" She shook her head.  
"Right.. I need to find my other Pokémon and my bag. I shouldn't get distracted.."

Off I went, searching for a way out of this town.

"Dammit. I passed this place before. I just went in a complete circle!" I huffed. I turned around, ready to walk in another direction, when I spotted someone walking in my direction, with a sour look on his face. "You've got to be kidding me." I groaned, recognising him instantly. It was James. I quickly glanced around for Jessie and Meowth, but they were no where in sight. I turned my attention back to James, he wasn't looking where he was walking, instead he was staring across the street. I followed his eye sight, and saw that he was staring at some food stands. It made my stomach growl. 'If only I had money..' I thought. I sighed, and suddenly James walked straight into me.  
"Ah!"  
"Hey!" I hissed.  
"Watch where you're going!" He shouted.  
"_You_ watch where _you're_ going!"  
"Wait! You're that twerp from- AH!"  
I grabbed his ear and pulled him straight down to me, so I was glaring straight into his eyes. "You stole that boat from that island, didn't you?! You ditched me there and left me to take punishment for _your_ actions! How could you do that!? And now you're the one who took my luggage and my Pokémon! I demand that you give them back, immediately!" I shouted.  
He shrunk a little under my gaze, but then pulled himself together, whacked my hand away and stood up straight, holding his ear. "Now you wait just a minute! Who do you think you're accusing of what!?"  
"Don't play dumb!"  
"I bet you're asking for a fight, aren't you?! Team Rocket does not take lightly to threats!" He hissed, reaching for a Pokéball.  
"No! I just want my luggage back!"  
"Go! Weezing!"  
"Wait!"  
I caught myself staring straight into Weezing's eyes. "Weezing weez..?"  
"Hot dogs! Get your hot dogs! Nice and hot! Only twelve Pokédollars! Buy two and get one free!"  
Both James and I looked over at the salesman, waving around a banner while cooking hot dogs on his portable grill.  
I whined loudly. "If only I had money.."  
"Ahah! Excellent! I have just enough!" James ran over to the salesman, completely distracted from the fight. The Weezing stared at it's master with confusion.  
"Hmph. Come on, Weezing." I reached out my hand to pet it, but it floated away from me. "Fine! Be that way!" I marched over to James. "What's the big idea!?" I questioned. James was already stuffing his face with a hot dog when he turned to me.  
"This is delicious!" He chimed.  
"Ah! Are you two together?" The salesman asked, grinning.  
"What? N-"  
"How lovely! I might just throw in a deal, for such a lovely lady~" He winked at me, then handed me a hot dog. "It's on the house!"  
"Oh... um, thanks!" I grinned and took a huge bite out of it.  
"Hey! That's not fair! Why does she get one for nothing!?" James questioned.  
"Clearly, because I'm just prettier than you." I said, giving the last bite to Azura. The salesman just laughed. "Hey, what about that buy two get one free thing you were talking about?" I asked.  
"Oh? You're still hungry, my dear? Then if you two are together than this does in fact, count as buying two! Here! Take this third one!"  
I mentally laughed at this guy's stupidity, and happily took the third hot dog.  
"Hey!" James reached out to snatch it, until I pulled it back.  
"Nu uh!" I stepped back. "I'll give this to you, as soon as you give my things back."  
"I don't know what you're talking about! Gimme!"  
"No!"  
He growled. "Weezing! Smokescreen attack!"  
I coughed on the smoke, as did the salesman. The hot dog was pulled out of my hand, so I stuck my foot out and tripped James. I heard him grunt as he hit the pavement, then I dropped down and sat on him.  
As soon as the smoke cleared, I glared down at James. "Get off me you insolent fool!"  
"Make me!" I growled, poking my tongue out.  
"James! What are you _doing_!?"  
I looked up, Jessie stormed right over, her hands on her hips and Meowth by her side.  
"We sent you to get food! Not beaten up!"  
"I'm not beaten up! This girl got in my way!" James complained.  
Jessie huffed. "I know you!"  
"Yeah.. I know you too." I said, folding my arms. James immediately stood up, causing me to fall off, landing on my butt. "Ow!"  
"You wont get away with this!" James declared. I stood up, brushing the dirt off my butt.  
"Look! If you just give me my things back, I'll leave you alone!" I said.  
"What stuff?" Jessie frowned. "And besides, that's exactly what you said last time, when we dropped you off on that island."  
I complained about the boat incident again, and the four of us got into an argument, when suddenly three familiar voices spoke up.  
"Look Ash, its Team Rocket!"  
"Argh! What're they doing here?!"  
Jessie and James turned to face them, blocking me from sight. "Well well, if it isn't the twerps!"  
"What are you doing here, Team Rocket!?" Misty gushed.  
"That is none of your concern, little girl." Jessie scoffed. "We'll take Pikachu and leave, right James?"  
"Right, Jessie!"  
"But not wit'out sayin' our motto first!" Meowth spoke up.  
"You're right!"  
"Prepare for trouble, we're coming to take Pikachu!"  
"Make it double, there's nothing you can do!"  
"To protect the world from devastation!"  
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"  
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"  
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"  
"Jessie!"  
"James!"  
"Team Rocket's blasting off at the speed of light!"  
"Surrender now or prepare to fight fight fight!"  
"Meowth, dats right!"  
'That sounded well rehearsed.. I wonder how often they do that.' I thought.  
"Lets not waste any time, this time, Ash!" Misty said. I was just about to step out from behind James, when suddenly Ash commanded Pikachu to attack, shocking all four of us. We shouted in agony, and I found my feet lifting off the ground at a rapid pace. Next thing I know I'm being flown away, high in the sky with Team Rocket.  
"Team Rocket's blasting off again..!"  
"Ahh!"


	8. 8 - The True Thieves Revealed!

It was harsh, crashing into the ground from such a huge height. I landed right by a river, and the others landed quite close.  
We groaned in pain as we sat up slowly. "Damn those twerps!" Jessie hissed.  
I saw the poor Weezing laying on the ground, knocked out. "You need to take better care of your Pokémon!" I said.  
"You can't talk, you lost yours!" James growled.  
"Dis was all your fault!" Meowth said, pointing at me.  
"_My_ fault!?"  
"If you hadn't of been in da way, d'ose twerps wouldn'ta seen us!"  
"Well, if _you_ would have given my things back, I wouldn't be in your way!"  
"We don't have no Pokémon o' yours!"  
"Then who the hell has them?!"  
We heard a scream nearby, which caught our attention. "What was that?" James asked.  
"Over there!" I pointed towards two people running with their arms flailing in the air, they were wearing black uniforms, with the same red R on them as Team Rocket. They were being chased by an angry Rapidash.  
"Oh, not _them_!" Jessie gushed.  
"Who are they?"  
"Out of our way!" The man shouted, running in our direction.  
"Don't bring it over here!" James shouted. I side stepped while Team Rocket started running as well. I took one glance at the Rapidash, and almost instantly recognised it. It looked just like my Rapidash, Calida!  
"Calida?" I called out. The Rapidash's ears shot up as it stopped running.  
"Nnhn?" It looked back towards me, and it's eyes lit up with excitement. "Eiinn!"  
"Calida!" I ran to her, and wrapped my arms around her neck, hugging her tightly. She moved about excitedly. "Its you! It really is!1 I'm so glad to see you're okay!"  
"Nnngh!"  
"What the hell that Rapidash is psychotic! How the hell did you tame it so quickly?!" The green-haired guy shouted.  
"Calida is _my_ Rapidash! What the hell were you guys doing with her!?" I saw my bag hanging over his shoulder. "That's _my_ bag!"  
"What? This? Ha! You can't have it, it has strong Pokémon inside of it, which we'll give to the boss!" He said.  
"Strong Pokémon?" James asked, trying to peer into the bag.  
"_My_ Pokémon!" I said. Calida stamped on the ground, and made an intimidating noise, which scared them all. "Give it back!"  
The blonde female started laughing, and placed her hand on her hip. "What makes you think we'd do that?"  
"Rrgh! There's no way we're letting you get ahead of us!" Jessie snarled as she tried to snatch the bag. The male narrowed his eyes and pulled back on it. It became a match of tug-o-war. James helped Jessie, and the blonde woman helped the other guy.  
"Don't you dare break my bag!" I hissed. "Calida, Flamethrower!"  
Calida built up the attack, and unleashed an intense Flamethrower onto all four of them.  
"Good girl!" I walked over, picked up my bag, and looked inside it. 'Wallet, Hyper Potions, SS Anne II Ticket receipts, Bottle of Water... wait..' "Where's my other Pokémon?!" I questioned.  
The two Team Rocket people stood up. "We already handed them to the boss!" The woman laughed. "And we're going to take that Rapidash next!"  
"Lets recite our motto."  
'No, please no.' I thought.  
"Prepare for trouble." She started.  
"And make it double!"  
"To infect the world with devastation!"  
"To blight all people in every nation!"  
"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"  
"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"  
"Cassidy!"  
"And Butch, of course!"  
"We're Team Rocket, circling Earth all day and all night!"  
"Surrender to us now, or you will surely lose the fight!"  
"That sounds so wrong." I said.  
"What did you say!?" Cassidy questioned. I looked at Jessie and James.  
"Well, at least it sounds different to theirs."  
"That's because they don't recite it properly!"  
Jessie rose to her feet, and started to bicker with them about the motto, James soon joined in.  
I turned to Calida. "Well, if they really did give the others to their leader, then we'd better go get them, hm?"  
She shook her head, then hinted towards the green-haired guy. "Oi, you, Boone. Calida said you have my Pokémon."  
He clenched a fist, and glared at me. "It's _Butch_! And I don't have them!"  
Calida stepped over, and bit him on the butt, causing him to squeal. I saw the Pokéballs attached to his belt, so I grabbed them and threw them to summon the Pokémon. A Primeape, Muk, Ampharos, and Hitmontop came out.  
"Ah! Atropine, Ampharos!" I called out happily. The Muk and Ampharos ran to me, the others covered their noses from the strong scent of Muk. But it didn't affect me. I cuddled them both, particularly Atropine (Muk) because he was always very highly emotional, he'll either be very happy, or very sad. Judging by how tight he was trying to hug me, Atropine was in a happy mood. "I'm so glad you guys are okay! I thought I lost you!"  
"Argh! Butch, we can't let her get away!" Cassidy hissed.  
"You're right! Primeape! Thrash attack, now!"  
"Ugh, really? Calida, go, Bounce attack!" I commanded. Calida obeyed and jumped high up into the sky, before falling back down and stamping right onto Primeape, giving it a 1-Hit KO.  
"Th-that Rapidash is strong!"  
"Of course.. I _have_ been a trainer for six years after all. I know how to raise my Pokémon." I mentioned, perhaps bragging the slightest bit. Jessie and James were muttering to each other, so I ignored them for now.  
"That means nothing! Go, Raticate!" Cassidy sent out her Raticate. "Hyper Fang!"  
"Hitmontop! Rolling Kick!"  
Both Pokémon came charging towards us. "Two on one? That's against the rules!"  
"We don't play by the rules, girly!" Butch grinned.  
"Fine.. then neither will I! Atropine, Sludge Bomb that Raticate, Ampharos, Signal Beam it, Calida, Flamethrower!"  
All three obeyed me, and attacked, winning. Butch and Cassidy returned their Pokémon, and made a run for it. I turned to Jessie and James.  
"You two.." Their narrowed their eyes at me. "What's with the sudden- oh. Okay, I'm _sorry_ for accusing you guys.. but really, how can you blame me?"  
"So you should be!" Jessie snorted.  
"... But I still don't forgive you for the boat incident."  
"Would you drop that already!?"  
We argued for a good 20 minutes, before we became so off topic that we were arguing about the taste of pears.  
"Enough!" Meowth spoke up. "Get dat Muk away, dat horrifying smell is driving me insane!"  
"M.. Muk..." Tears began streaming down Atropine's face.  
"Why would you say that!?" I pulled Muk into a comforting hug. "Don't be so mean! Don't listen to them, Atropine, they don't know what they're saying. You don't smell at all!" I said.  
Atropine sobbed as he clung to me.  
"There's indeed something wrong with you, if you can't smell _that_!" Jessie said. I glared up at them.  
"No! Atropine is beautiful! He doesn't smell! Not at all!"  
The thing was, I had lost my sense of smell a few years ago, when I first captured and started training Atropine. The odour he released was too strong for my nose, especially with all the cuddling over the years, so my sense of smell was destroyed. But I don't mind. 


	9. 9 - Oh They SEEM Nice

I returned all my Pokémon to their Pokéballs, and faced Team Rocket.  
"So just how strong is that Rapidash of yours?" Jessie asked, scooting closer.  
"Oh, quite strong." I replied.  
She seemed to snicker about something.  
"... Don't even think about stealing her." I narrowed my eyes.  
"What? Nooo.. no no. You've got it all wrong, you see~"  
"I don't trust you.." I swung my bag over my shoulder, and turned around, ready to walk away. "Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna go grab some food. See ya."  
"F-Food?"  
"Hey wait!" The three of them followed me back to Lavender Town, it took about an hour. I gave in and agreed to buy them a meal, they were such a sorry bunch, I sort of felt sympathy towards them after hearing how much they suffer from starvation, and being pushed around by Ash and his friends.

I had just enough money to buy a buffet for the four of us, and we ate happily. (Did I mention they were in disguises?)  
"This is very kind of you~" Jessie chimed. She has seemed a lot nicer since eating, perhaps her grumpiness came from her hunger.  
"Yeah! Such kindness! We'll forever be grateful!" James sang.  
I couldn't help but smile. "You three seem alright."  
"It's been such a long time since we had a decent meal like this!" James said, gulping down more than he could chew. It got stuck in his throat, and he started to choke and pound his chest.  
"A-ah!? James? Are you okay?" I asked.  
He bashed the table with his hand, gripping at his throat with the other. I quickly stood up to assist, when suddenly a Wobbuffet popped out of nowhere, and tripped me. "Waaaaabba~"  
James forced the food down his throat, and coughed as he gasped for air.  
"Get back in your ball, you!" Jessie hissed, returning the Wobbuffet.

After a few moments, James returned to normal, and continued scoffing down food, until there was none left.

"That was a great meal!" James complimented, rubbing his stomach.  
"Sure was." I agreed.  
"It's getting late." Jessie grumbled as she turned her attention outside. "James, you _did_ remember to pitch our tent, right?"  
"We had a tent?"  
Facepalm.  
"Wait, tent? So you guys sleep outside all the time too?"  
"Yes, we don't exactly have anywhere to go." Jessie replied, irritated.  
I checked my wallet. "Hmm.. well I was gonna check in to a motel, I guess I could afford a three-bed room."  
"You'd do that.. for us?" Meowth asked.  
"Yeah.. it's alright." I replied, I guess I was starting to get attached to these guys. They weren't such bad people after all.

To the motel we went, and managed to get the _last_ room with three beds. Once I unlocked the door, my eye twitched. On one side, there was a double bed, and on the other side was a bunk bed.  
"Ahah!" Jessie strutted inside, and sat on the big bed. "This will be my bed." She said, crossing one leg over the other. I shrugged and put my belongings on the bottom of the bunk bed.  
"Then I'll take this one, I guess."  
James had no say, he had to sleep on the top bunk, whether he liked it or not.  
I placed Azura beside my bag, while I went and showered in the small bathroom attached.

I dressed into my pyjamas in the bathroom, and dried my hair roughly with the towel before walking back out into the main room. James had found the mini fridge, and had already eaten all the cookies provided.  
"The milk is past it's expiry date!" He complained.  
Meowth, who was drinking the milk from the bottle, spat it out on James. "What!?" He spat again, and wiped his mouth.  
"Hey! This is my good disguise you little furball!" James wrestled Meowth on the floor. I looked at Jessie, she was perming her hair in front of the mirror. I decided not to interrupt her.  
I laid down on the bed, and the bed frame squeaked, showing just how old it is. Azura snuggled beside me, and I smiled. I eventually fell asleep.

I was rudely awoken in the middle of the night by a beeping alert noise. It sounded familiar. I reached down under my bed, and pulled out my phone. The screen was so bright, forcing me to squint my eyes. It was a text message, from an unknown number. It read something about new phone or new pocket or something, I had to look away from the screen before I read it properly, it was just too bright. I looked over the dark room, and saw Jessie sound asleep in that double bed, and saw James' hand hanging off the top bunk of this bed. I had no idea where Meowth was, probably sleeping on the floor somewhere, or the rocking chair. I closed my eyes with my phone still in my hand, and fell asleep instantly.

BANG. My eyes shot open, I sat up immediately, and hit my head on the planks of the top bunk. "Ow!" I rubbed my forehead. "What was that.."  
The room was well lit, it was morning already. I winced and looked down at my phone in my hand. 3 Unread Messages. I shrugged and switched it off, and threw it down into my bag. But it hit the floor instead. "Huh..?" I looked down at the floor, then under my bed. "Where's my bag..?" I looked up, Jessie wasn't in her bed. I got out from the bunk bed, and looked up top. James wasn't there. I looked at the rocking chair, Meowth wasn't there. I looked at Azura, staring towards the door. I turned around and looked door, it looked like it had been slammed shut. "So that's what that noise was.." I blinked a few times. "Wait... did they.. steal my bag?!"  
I ran to the door and kicked it open, and saw the trio running along down the street, carrying my bag!  
"What!?" I glared. "I shouldn't have trusted them!" Forget everything I said about feeling sympathetic and friendly towards them! They're criminals! Dammit! I grabbed Azura and ran after them.


	10. 10 - A Handsome Young Man and

**Chapter 10**

**A Handsome Young Man and Pokémon who Refused to Fight.**

"Stop you thieves!" I screamed as I was hot on their tail. They continued to snicker as they ran, holding my bag in the air. Running back down those huge piers south of Lavender Town, I felt my feet slipping on the wet surface, and the faster I ran, the more it felt like I was going to trip and face plant. "When I get ahold of you three..!"  
A man was walking up in the opposite direction, I didn't pay much attention to him, except for the fact that he was wearing black clothing, and walking with his hands in his pockets.  
He seemed to notice Team Rocket coming towards him, and he stepped to the side to let them pass. Dammit! Why didn't he stop them? He could clearly tell they were criminals!  
As it was my turn to run past him, I heard him mutter something about Team Rocket. "You, girl."  
"Eh?" I stopped running and looked at him from over my shoulder. "What?!"  
"They stole your bag?"  
"Yes! And I'm trying to catch them!" I turned around to continue my chase, when he pulled out a Pokéball from his pocket.  
"I highly dislike Team Rocket.." He continued to speak in a somewhat low, monotoned voice. "Allow me to lend some assistance." He threw it, and out came a Mightyena. "Stop them, and retrieve that bag."  
"Harr!" The Mightyena snarled, before giving chase to the three criminals. It was fast. I stared in amazement.  
"A Mightyena? Those originate from-"  
"Hoenn, yes."  
I turned to the man. He had a young, slim and handsome face. His black hair parted to the right, just covering his right eye, and the length reached down to the back of his neck. He wore a black cloth loosely wrapped around his head like a headband, a black scarf which covered his chin somewhat, a long black jacket which covered a black or dark navy shirt beneath it, and his long black jeans flared out at the ankles, covering black leather shoes. His light blue eye contrasted from all the dark colours, and it was stunning. This guy, was sexy.

I didn't notice the katana strapped to his back until after he turned around. What is a guy doing carrying around a weapon like that?  
"Woah.." I breathed, admiring this guy.  
"Hn?"  
"Nothing! Uh, what's your name?"  
"It's polite to say your own before asking another's.." His expression didn't seem to change.  
"Oh! Right, sorry! Uh, I'm Florence! Nice to meet you!" I said, tripping over myself. He finally looked at me.  
"Florence..?"  
"Yes. That's right. I know it's kind of an uncommon name and all.. uh.."  
He shook his head. "I knew someone by that name once.. once."  
"Oh.."  
"... My name is.. Keith.." He said, staring at me. I blinked.  
"Haha! How awesome, I had a friend called Keith many years ago! … Had.." I emphasised.  
"Had?"  
I nodded. "He.. died when we were little.." I lowered my head, remembering my sadness.  
"... My condolences." He averted his eyes.  
"It's alright."  
"Harr!" I almost jumped and screamed at the sudden noise. The Mightyena had returned. Keith extended his hand and smacked it on the nozzle. I was stunned. The Mightyena whined and lowered its head fearfully.  
"You failed.. I am disappointed." He bluntly spoke, before returning it to the Pokéball. I'd never seen anyone ever hit a Pokémon before. I looked over to where Team Rocket were. They were gone.  
"Where did they go.." I thought aloud. I did see my bag laying on the pier though, a Pokéball rolled out of it, and kept rolling towards the edge. "Ack!" I ran to catch it, but missed. "Nooo!"  
Water could probably damage the Pokéball. Just then, something huge splashed into the water and zoomed down. It swam too quickly, identifying it was impossible. Keith stood near me.  
"My Sharpedo will retrieve it. At least I know it wont fail me."  
I looked up at him, his eyes were fixed on the water. "Your.. uh.. Mightyena.."  
"It's in training. Don't mind the punishment, it needs to learn through heavy discipline, otherwise it will not grow strong enough to fight alongside me."  
It sounded so harsh. "Oh.. well it could be stronger than it looks!" I said. "Why don't we have a battle?"  
"No, you're too weak."  
"I'm not weak!"  
A Sharpedo burst up from the water, my Pokéball in its mouth. "Shar!" It's incredible demeanour made it seem very powerful. I hesitated in deciding to grab it or not.  
"It's fine."  
"Shar!"  
I gulped, reached down and grabbed the Pokéball. "Oh, why thank you sweetie." I said to it, and briefly petted it. It's skin was so rough, like sharp sandpaper or something.  
"I wouldn't pet it." Keith spoke.  
"Eh.. I noticed." My hand was red, just from those short few seconds of softly touching it.  
"I'm leaving now." He returned Sharpedo, before turning away.  
"No, wait!" I stood up. "Let me battle you! If you're as strong as you say you are, then you shouldn't have any problems challenging me, right?"  
"Hn, precisely. It'd be a waste of time."  
"So you're too scared to battle, huh?" I smirked. He narrowed his eyes towards me.  
"Fine, but make it quick, then." He turned around, and sent out Mightyena again. "Do not fail me a second time." He spoke to it. It nodded hesitantly.  
"Harr!"  
I tossed the ball in my hand, not recognising which Pokémon it was. Atropine.  
"Muuuuuk."  
"Atropine, Gunk Shot!"  
"Dodge it.."  
"Harrgh!" Mightyena jumped up high, then lunged at Muk with a Crunch attack.  
"Ice Punch, upwards, now!" Atropine froze his hand and punched directly up, smashing it's fist right into the Mightyena's jaw. It yelped and landed on the ground pretty harshly.  
"Tch.." Keith seemed disappointed.  
"Finish it with Mud Bomb!"  
Atropine spat out a huge ball of mud at Mightyena, it tried to dodge but couldn't get up quick enough. It yelped again, before laying there in too much pain to continue.  
"Pathetic.." Keith muttered under his breath, before returning Mightyena.  
"Muuuk!" Atropine cheered, he seemed eager for more battling.  
"Go, Sharpedo."  
"Shar!" Sharpedo landed in the water after coming out of it's ball, before disappearing from sight.  
"Aqua Jet."  
"Shar... pedo!" Sharpedo shot up out of the water like a jet, and crashed into Atropine at a tremendous force.  
"M-Muk!"  
"Crunch."  
Atropine didn't look like he could take much more.  
"Atropine, r-"  
"Ice Beam."  
Sharpedo froze him solid. I returned Atropine, and sent out Ampharos.  
"Quickly, Ampharos, use Discharge!"  
"Aaamph!" It shocked Sharpedo, but it still survived. Sharpedo flipped backwards, into the water.  
"Sharpedo.. Take Down."  
Again, it shot out of the water like a bullet.  
"Slow it down with Power Gem!"  
But the Sharpedo took it and endured it, before tackling Ampharos.  
"Grab it, Ampharos! Don't let it get back in the water!"  
Ampharos wrapped its arms around Sharpedo as best as it could, and winced.  
"Discharge, one more time!"  
The Sharpedo looked weak after that.  
"Sh..Shar.."  
"Crunch." Keith showed no sympathy for his Pokémon.  
Sharpedo bit down hard on Ampharos, causing her to cry out loudly. She zapped it again, finishing the battle.  
"Kuh." Keith returned Sharpedo without another word.  
"You fought well, Ampharos. I'm proud!" I said, she smiled at me before I returned her as well.  
"... You are impressive.. only one person has defeated my Sharpedo before.. but my next Pokémon, remains undefeated."  
"Then, I'll also use my strongest! Come on out, Calida!"  
"Dragonite, defeat them."  
We said at the same time.  
His Dragonite roared and stretched it's wings, Calida reared up, ready to go.  
"Dragonite, Hyper Beam."  
"Calida! Bounce attack!"  
But something was wrong. Neither Pokémon obeyed. They just stood there, staring at each other. After a short moment, both Pokémon turned their heads back to look at us.  
"Draargh.."  
"Hiin..."  
"Why wont you attack?!" Keith hissed. The Dragonite lowered its head, as if it was ashamed.  
"Calida.. what's wrong?" She snorted, before returning to her Pokéball. "Huh..?!"  
"I said, Hyper Beam!" Keith looked agitated.  
The Dragonite shook it's head, and looked down at me. "Maaargh!"  
I stared back at it, confused. It seemed disappointed at my clueless expression, before also, returning to it's Pokéball.

[Authors Note: Sorry for the long wait guys! . Just recently graduated from school, and bought Pokémon Y, so it's all been time consuming ~ I promise to try and release more chapters more frequently now! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! And remember, feedback motivates me to keep writing! w)


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